I sit on a pink lace sofa
underneath the glint & hum of poorly lit
chandeliers. Tucked away in the curve of a cellar
cocktail bar, hidden in a one cathedral town,
            far from Manhattan.
Sipping gin with lemon, pretending the tonic
            is turpentine
or cyanide.

I watch a white wild haired man engage in conversation
at a table for one—
thumbs up, eyebrows raised, chuckles, & tears.
            No reciprocating smiles.
He. Is. Glorious—
in his storytelling to the vase of white oleanders; 
            much more content
than the couple setting two tables left, trying
to find their reflections in martinis.

Billie Holiday’s “Take all of Me”
is being sung out of tune
            by a faded blonde-haired,
blue-eyed fool— you took a part that once was my heart…
but it soothes me. I can taste the gin
once again
my focus is
the least bit on the door— so why not, why not take all of me…

– Kelly Cradock

Author’s Note: “One-way Conversations” is about listening without waiting for a turn to speak. It is saying what needs to be voiced regardless of the audience. It gives a voice to the oppressed, misrepresented artists of our past, and shines a light on those struggling with mental anguish. I was inspired to write this after I observed a white wild-haired man have one of the most expressive and heartfelt conversations with himself in a crowded room. I am certain he solved most of the world’s dilemmas that night, because he listened fiercely and spoke with conviction.